Friday, June 22, 2012

THE PARTRIDGE FAMILY #2: THE HAUNTED HALL: Chapter #5 "More Sounds in the Night"

Plot synopsis: Shirley comforts her daughter, Laurie, who goes into a sound sleep. Everyone sleeps through other house sounds: a woman sobbing, low wailing and chains dragging. Meanwhile, we learn that Reuben Kincaid’s secretary sent the telegram about the Partridges staying in Turnbull Mansion to the wrong place. She sent it to Parkland, instead of Larkland, and to the wrong Carolina (to North when it should have been South or visa versa, which is not made clear.) We also learn that J. Watterson Turnbull has escaped from the Blue Rapids Sanitarium….With a box of matches!!! *********************************************************************************
Character Development: We learn the 65 year old Turnbull is intelligent and agile.
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Relevant Social Issues: “Youth Culture” a full quote is needed here, about the Larkland Rock Festival< “It would be a thing of their very own – a musical sit-in to tell the world about love, the milk of human kindness, peace – all wrapped in a non-violent demonstration of the best that there is, an all the best that could be in mankind.”
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Hip Slang: Laurie describes Duke as “cool and groovy” as well as “the most”. Laurie also explains to her mother that “Kismet” is fate.
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Contemporary Pop Culture References: Boris Karloff (horror actor incapable of making the sounds Laurie heard.)
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Favorite sentences: Reuben thinking about the Partridges in Larkland, “They would be twice as much in demand now that rock festivals were all the rage.” “J. Watterson Turnbull’s house was like some dark gigantic shadow crouched among the trees, down in its circle of damp earth, flanked on all sides by dark forest.”